| Authorised form of name | Ronalds; Sir; Francis (1788 - 1873); inventor and meteorologist |
| Dates | 1788 - 1873 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Date of birth | 21 February 1788 |
| Place of death | St Mary's Villa, Battle, Sussex, England |
| Date of death | 08 August 1873 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial: Battle, Sussex, England |
| Research field | Meteorology |
| Physics |
| Electrical engineering |
| Activity | Eduation: Revd E. Cogan's school at Cheshunt; joined the family firm, Field and Ronalds, wholesale cheesemongers in Upper Thames Street, London (1803); following the death of his father he ran the firm (1806)
Career:
Exhibited a strong interest in experimentation and the construction of scientific apparatus from a young age; encouraged by Jean André de Luc, he conducted practical experiments in electrical transmission at his residence, Kelmscott House. He set up two parallel wooden structures, 20 yards apart, connecting them with insulated wire for a continuous length of 8 miles. His success demonstrated that, in dry weather, electric signals could be transmitted almost instantaneously over distances (1814); Ronalds further developed an electrical telegraph apparatus, incorporating a single underground line of 525 feet within thick glass tubes coated with pitch. Despite the system's slow pace, he established synchronization routines for two dials, proving its functionality over the buried wire. Although he did not seek a patent, Ronalds detailed his experiments in a pamphlet titled "Descriptions of an Electrical Telegraph and of some other Electrical Apparatus" (1823); wrote to the Admiralty, highlighting the rapidity and practicality of his telegraph. However, the Admiralty considered telegraphs unnecessary, and his system was not adopted (1816); embarked on a tour of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, documenting his experiences and expanding his collection of books on electricity and magnetism (1823); invented and patented a device for sketching from nature (1825), followed by an improved version (1828); became the honorary director of the former Royal Observatory at Kew, conducting experiments in the continuous automatic registration of meteorological data by photography. Despite sharing credit with Charles Wheatstone, Ronalds asserted his independent invention of the system (1842); retired and received a civil-list pension for his contributions to electicity and meteorology (1852); in hi slater years compiled a bibliographical catalogue of works on electricity, magnetism, and related subjects, bequeathing his collection to the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) (1880)
Honours:
Kt 1871 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 01/02/1844 |
| Age at election | 56 |
| Proposer | Henry Moseley; Edward Sabine; Edward Solly; Charles Wheatstone; William Brockedon; William Thomas Brande; Michael Faraday; Thomas Graham |
| RSActivity | The Royal Society made an initial grant of £50 from the Wollaston fund toward the costs of constructing the apparatus devised by Ronalds and in 1851 a further grant of £100 to fund a six-month experimental trial. In gratitude Ronalds was to bequeath £500 to the Royal Society. |
| Relationships | Parents: Francis Ronalds (1761–1806), merchant, and Jane (1766–1852), daughter of William Field, merchant, and Ann Bailey.
Siblings: Alfred Ronalds, authore of the classic book The Fly-fisher's Entomology (1836); Hugh Ronalds was one of the founders of the city of Albion in the American Midwest; Emily Ronalds, social reformer.
Uncle: Hugh Ronalds, nurseryman
Nephews: Professor Edumnd Ronalds, academic and industrial chemist; Hugh Carter, portrait painter |
| PublishedWorks | RCN 51063
RCN R61298
RCN R61299
RCN 28673 |
| OtherInfo | Known for the electric telegraph, continuously recording camera, and perspective drawing instruments.
Knighted for creating the first working electric telegraph over a substantial distance. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Notes:
Biog Mem in "Catalogue of the Ronalds Library" 1880. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/61893045 |
| Code | NA7632 |
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1844/04 | Ronalds, Sir Francis: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| IM/003876 | Ronalds, Sir Francis | nd |
| MS/257/3/344 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Chiswick to Edward Sabine | 15 February 1849 |
| IM/Maull/003875 | Ronalds, Sir Francis | nd |
| MS/426/449 | Note of a letter from [the Secretaries of] the Royal Society; to F [Francis] Ronalds, Chiswick | 19 June 1851 |
| MC/10/126 | Letter from S [Samuel] Carter, Quarry Hill, Battle, to Walter White, [Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society] | 17 June 1874 |
| MS/426/194 | Copy letter from C R [Charles Richard] Weld, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to F [Francis] Ronalds Esq | 3 April 1846 |
| MS/426/347 | Copy letter from C R [Charles Richard] Weld, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir J F W [John Wiliam Frederick] Herschel | 20 November 1848 |
| MS/257/3/348 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Chiswick to Edward Sabine | 9 August 1852 |
| PT/32/8/3 | Plate, figures 8-9 showing a declination magnetograph by Francis Ronalds | [1846] |
| PT/32/8/2 | Plate, figures 1-7 showing electrograph, thermometrograph, barometrograph, and contracting diaphragm by Francis Ronalds | [1846] |
| MC/6/220 | Letter from Fras [Francis] Ronalds, Milan, to Walter White, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society | 18 April 1862 |
| MC/4/371 | Letter from Fra [Francis] Ronalds, Kew Observatory, to S H [Samuel Hunter] Christie, [Secretary of the Royal Society] | 18 December 1850 |
| PT/32/8/1 | Manuscript, 'On photographic self registering meteorological and magnetical instruments' by Francis Ronalds | [1846] |
| MC/4 | Volume 4 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1844-1850 |
| MC/6/135 | Letter from Fras [Francis] Ronalds, Hotel de la Ville, Milan, to C R [Charles Richard] Weld | 5 May 1861 |
| MC/6 | Volume 6 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1859-1863 |
| PT/32/8 | Paper, 'On photographic self registering meteorological and magnetical instruments' by Francis Ronalds | [1846] |
| MC/9/152 | Letter from S [Samuel] Carter, Quarry Hill, Battle, to the Secretary of the Royal Society | 14 January 1871 |
| MC/9 | Volume 9 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1870-June 1873 |
| MC/10/122 | Letter from Executors of Ronalds, Quarry Hill, Battle, to the Secretary of the Royal Society | 11 June 1874 |
| MC/10/141 | Letter from Horne & Hunter [?], 6 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, to Walter White, [Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society], Burlington House | 13 July 1874 |
| MC/10 | Volume 10 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | July 1873-1876 |
| MS/257/2/236 | Copy of a letter from W Hamilton, Admiralty to [Francis Ronalds] | 7 October 1848 |
| MS/257/3/343 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Chiswick to Edward Sabine | 10 November 1848 |
| MS/257/3/346 | 'Mr [Francis] Ronald's memo addressed to the Kew Committee' | 22 March 1850 |
| MS/257/3/347 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Kew Observatory to Edward Sabine | 23 August 1850 |
| MS/257/3/345 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Chiswick to Edward Sabine | 1 April 1849 |
| MS/257/3/342 | Letter from Francis Ronalds, Chiswick to Edward Sabine | 30 June 1848 |